Research & Strategy
When Snorkl approached us, they had just a PDF with a basic concept for their app and some initial functionalities in mind. To help shape their vision, I conducted competitor analysis, reviewing user feedback on similar EdTech tools to identify pain points and opportunities. I also used persona-based insights to align designs with the needs of teachers, focusing on streamlining their workflows. This research helped define Snorkl’s value proposition: fostering interactive, engaging math education.
Ideation & Wireframing
Collaborating with stakeholders, I brainstormed features for the teacher interface, such as assignment creation and dashboard analytics. A key decision was integrating with Google Classroom to simplify login and onboarding, leveraging teachers’ familiarity with the platform. I created wireframes to map out the teacher dashboard and key flows, prioritizing quick access to essential tasks like monitoring student progress. These wireframes were shared with the engineering team to ensure technical feasibility and gather early feedback.
Branding & Visual Design
I created the app's brand identity, ensuring it was both visually appealing and accessible.
Logo & Fonts: I designed a logo that was easily recognizable in various formats. I chose the font Poppins for its clean, modern, and legible style, which helped establish a clear visual hierarchy.
Color Palette: I selected a vibrant palette with high-contrast ratios to increase engagement and ensure accessibility for all users.
UI Components: A key focus was designing a thoughtful button hierarchy (primary, secondary, and tertiary) to guide users and reduce cognitive load. This was especially important for the main canvas, where a streamlined user interface was crucial.
Design System & Prototyping
To support consistent design across the teacher interface, I built a Figma-based design system with reusable UI components, including a button hierarchy (primary, secondary, tertiary) to guide teachers through tasks efficiently. This system streamlined iterations and ensured alignment with developers. I also created interactive prototypes to showcase key teacher flows, such as navigating the dashboard and creating assignments, incorporating hover states and transitions to clarify the user experience.
Key Contributions
My work focused on the teacher-side experience, including:
Teacher Dashboard: Designed to display critical metrics (e.g., student progress, assignment status) with a clean, uncluttered layout.
Assignment Creation Flow: Streamlined interface for teachers to set up and manage math tasks.
Design System: A library of components (buttons, icons, typography) to maintain consistency and speed up development.
Key Screens
Outcomes & Reflections
My contributions helped shape a teacher-friendly beta interface that supported Snorkl’s early validation, with over 1,000 educators joining the waitlist. Working on Snorkl really highlighted the value of iterative collaboration with engineers and stakeholders to balance user needs with technical constraints.
As the project evolved to incorporate AI-driven feedback (a shift driven by advancements in tools like ChatGPT), my designs laid a foundation for the teacher experience. This project strengthened my ability to create user-centered designs and scalable systems for fast-moving startups.
Key Objectives, Research Insights, and User Pain Points
The core business goal was to increase overnight bookings in Pierce County. Supporting objectives included improving mobile usability, surfacing high-value content like events and seasonal itineraries, and giving the DMO team more flexibility in how they told Tacoma’s story.
Research included analytics, stakeholder interviews, and competitive audits. Key pain points included:
- Content was difficult to find and poorly organized
- Navigation was overwhelming, especially on mobile
- Events and planning tools were underutilized and not promoted clearly
- Users lacked a quick, intuitive way to understand what Tacoma had to offer
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